Removable handgrip for golf clubs



June 17 1924.

W. C. JOHNSTON REMOVABLE HANDGRIP FOR GOLF CLUBS Fil ed March 10. 1923 Patented June '17, 1924.

* UNETED srarss ears WALDO C. JOHNSTO'N,'OF COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK.

REMOVABLE HANDGRIP FOR GOLF CLUBS.

Application filed March 10, 1923. Serial No. 624,249.

ed to be applied to the shafts of golf clubs for the purpose of preventing the hands of the person usin a club to which such a device is applied from slipping during the swing of the club. Golf clubs as ordinarily made are provided with permanently secured hand grips, usually made of leather. These sometimes, and especially when wet, are very slippery, making it difficult for the user of the club to control it, and sometimesrendering its use positively dangerous, since the shaft may slip entirely from the hands of the player during the swing.

The object of my invention is to provide an article that may be easily applied to and removed from the shaft of a golf club and which when applied lies close to the portion of the shaft grasped by the hands of the player, where it is maintained and serves to form a hand grip therefor.

While the invention is primarily intended for the use mentioned, that is, as a separable hand gripfor golf clubs, it is apparent that, either in the form represented or in shapes modified to suit other articles. it is adapted to be used as a hand grip for a wide variety of articles adapted to be swung in use and having staves or handles. \Vhere, therefore, I herein make reference to a specific article, namely, a golf club, I employ this term typically in order to prevent the use of unnecessary language in description, intending such term to be inclusive in its significance and to cover the handles, shafts or staves of various articles intended to be grasped by the hand of man and to be used by him in a more or less violent manner, thus making it difficult to control the movements of the article when the grip portion of the staff or handle thereof is slippery.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the staff of a golf club to which an article embodying my invention is applied.

ig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the line IIIIII of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A designates the staff,

shaft or handle of a golf club, to the end of which is secured the ordinary leather hand grip B. The separable hand grip attachment constituting my invention consists of a sort of cage adapted to be slipped over the grasped end of the shaft A, and comprises a set of parallel resilient bars 2, 2, the end portions 3 of which are bent and'united as at 4 to constitute a closed end, which extends across the end of. the shaft A, when the attachment is in place for use. p The opor other flexible and ensue means serving to unite the free end of the bars and draw them together. The outer surfaces of the bars 2 are roughened to prevent slipping of the hand of the person grasping the article, while'the inner surfaces, which lie against the shaft A, or the permanent hand grip B thereof when such is provided, are smooth, so as not to wear or mar such surfaces, and are shaped to lie closely against the surface of the shaft to which they are applied. The bars are rigidly united at 4, and thus maintained at fixed distances apart. I have found that four arms equally spaced apart is the most advantageous arrangement, although a larger or smaller number may be preferred by some, and be especially advantageous in connection with handles of particular shapes or sizes. The end portions of the bars 2 immediately adjacent to the inturned ends 3 thereof preferably bulge outward slightly as indicated at 7 to enlarge the grip at its end, so as to afford additional security against its slipping from the hand of the user.

A separable hand grip such as described may be easily slipped off or on the handle of a golf club or other implement or tool, the resilient arms being sprung apart sufficiently to permit the end of the stafl" to pass between them. The spring 6 holds the free ends of the arms in close engagement with the surface of the staff, or with the hand grip covering thereof if such be used, but does not interfere with the movement of the grip lengthwise of the staff when being applied or removed.

WhileI have described the arms 2 as being formed of metal it is evident that they may be formed of other material sufliciently strong and. durable to serve the purposes intended and having the necessary resiliency.

The article that has been described is of very simple construction and may be easily and cheaply manufactured. l/Vhen removed from the staff with which it is intended to be used it occupies but a small space, so that it may be carried in order that it may be conveniently at hand for use whenever required.

What I claim is:

' 1. A separable hand grip adapted to be applied to a staff, comprising a set of bars spaced apart, the bars being united at one end and held toward each other by elastic means at the other, the inner surfaces of the bars being arranged and shaped to lie closely against the surface of the shaft to which they are applied.

21 A separable hand grip adapted to be applied to a staff, comprising a cage adapted to be slipped over the staff, formed of bars spaced apart, the bars at one end of the cage being inturned and united, and at their opposite ends being free, and the inner surfaces of the bars being shaped and arranged to fit closely against the surface of the staff to which they may be applied, and means for drawing the free ends toward each other whereby they grip the staff when the cage is applied thereto.

3. A separable hand grip adapted to be applied to a staff, comprising a set of parallel spaced-apart bars adapted to lie closely against the face of the staff to which the grip is applied, the outer ends of the bars being inturned and united so as to lie opposite the end of the staff, and the inner or free ends of the bars being united by an elastic connection tending to draw them together so that they grip the staff. I

4. A hand grip for golf club and other staves, formed of a set of parallel spacedapart metal bars roughened on their outer surfaces and smooth on their inner surfaces, the latter being adapted to lie closely against the staff to which the grip is applied, the outer ends of the bars being inturned and united and their inner free ends being formed into loops or eyes, and a spring passing through the said eyes and uniting the bars and tending to draw their free ends toward each other and into gripping engagement with. the staff.

VVALDO C. JOHNSTON. 

